Hmm? I don't understand this problem. There's only one set of cyphertext.. the actual cyphertext. Do you mean "different batch of cyphertext" as the OTP which creates the innocuous plaintext from the cyphertext? Maybe encrypt the OTP w/DES and keep it on your hard drive. When "they" snag the drive, they see the different cyphertext, you tell them that it's the OTP you used and give them the DES-key to decrypt the innocuous OTP. I sense a problem with histogram equalization, however. Is there a problem here or does OTP-encryption take care of that?

With a OTP any plaintext can correspond with any cyphertext given: PAD (+) plaintext = cyphertext meaning PAD (+) cyphertext = plaintext and plaintext (+) cyphertext = PAD so, take your output of DES, xor its contents with desired "false plaintext" this is your false pad. store this on a seperate disk and make it look all secret-like. When feds come and take your cyphertext (which is output of DES) they ask for your key. You hand over your disk with (fake) PAD. They xor the two together to get (fake) plaintext which reads. You dont have to do this before hand either, if you have a copy of your cyphertext after the feds confiscate a copy from you you can generate pad to make it say something that will really freak them out, like something you couldnt have known prior to the seizure of the cyphertext : "I will be illegally raided on July 2, 1994, sounds sort of like '1984' to me. I wish the government would stay out of my life"

| Sameer Parekh-zane@genesis.MCS.COM-PFA related mail to pfa@genesis.MCS.COM |

peace.